tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post804249808935774624..comments2024-03-28T13:31:17.000-07:00Comments on Chickadee Gardens: Toughest of the Tough Part II: Perennials, Grasses and Deciduous ShrubsChickadee Gardenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00698323800314994028noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-72266482130310309502022-11-18T09:40:10.320-08:002022-11-18T09:40:10.320-08:00Yay to more garden beds, Colleen! That's fanta...Yay to more garden beds, Colleen! That's fantastic. You have a fabulous group of plants listed here, Miscanthus 'Morning Light' is so lovely. I added one last fall and although it is still small I suspect it will like yours take pride of place. You know I also have Miscanthus 'Little Zebra' and it has gotten quite large as well. Hmmm.....interesting.<br /><br />Love the grasses and Carex testacea is among my favorite - small but the seedlings always seem so vivid orange so I too save them and move them all around. Also I'll have to look for that Marrubium you list, sounds interesting. My cats generally leave the nepeta alone, I have an actual catnip plant for them that they prefer anyhow so it keeps them busy...ha ha! Cheers and thanks for your feedback and comments!Chickadee Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00698323800314994028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-77306445740897103762022-11-16T11:41:38.257-08:002022-11-16T11:41:38.257-08:00I get so excited when you feature plants that I ha...I get so excited when you feature plants that I have planted during the year :-) Marrubium bourgaei 'All Hallows Green' in my xeriscape and Geranium × cantabrigiense 'Karmina' in the NW bed by the front door. Nepeta! I now have three in the central section of my east fence bed: Nepeta × faassenii 'Limelight', Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low', and Nepeta subsessilis 'Balneplud' Prelude™ Blue. Our tuxie kitty, Tica, ignores them! Miscanthus sinensis - my very first one was Morning Light and she still has pride of place in that center section of the east fence bed :-) Then I added Miscanthus 'Purpurascens' in the north fence bed, followed by 'Little Zebra'. However, I think it was mislabeled because its height is giving me 'Zebrinus' vibes! I still love it but if I had known, I would've planted it further back in the bed...<br />Carex testacea - the gift that keeps on giving! I started out with five along the front of the house, but three failed due to soggy feet and too much shade from their tree neighbors who filled out. But, the volunteers they left behind were transplanted to the sunny sides of the back garden and are doing just fine! I just checked my garden spreadsheet and I have 12 other genus of grasses in the garden (plus other species of Carex) - I really do love grasses in my garden :-) Although, after 12 years of filling in the empty spaces since my garden was first planted (2013), I'm running out of room! However, we have a long stretch of lawn in the back that is going bye-bye and we'll be saying hello to more garden beds! ColleenAKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04910150208855794445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-19851012857010180382022-09-17T16:26:14.185-07:002022-09-17T16:26:14.185-07:00Elaine, thank you for your comments and contributi...Elaine, thank you for your comments and contributing to the conversation. That's so cool that our plants overlap even in your super cold 3b climate. Whoa! Super good to know. I agree wihth Eryingium and Echinops - absolutely - and their benefit to pollinators. And of course, Zauschneria - why didn't I include this one? I must have forgotten because it's fabulous. Cheers and great feedback.Chickadee Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00698323800314994028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-36164213171748546322022-09-17T16:24:17.305-07:002022-09-17T16:24:17.305-07:00Thank you Chavli. Oh, I would love to have a fabul...Thank you Chavli. Oh, I would love to have a fabulous winter garden - working on it! Seed heads are plentiful in my garden and the birds love them, too.<br /><br />Oooh, glad you got another Amsonia h. - such a great plant. Orange sedge is a favorite, I admit, a gentler seeder is an excellent description. Some of my grasses would be too much for a lot of gardens, quickly taking over. And Rosa glauca is indeed the best one in my humble opinion. That foliage! Swoon.<br />Chickadee Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00698323800314994028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-28930071807997942082022-09-17T16:21:48.850-07:002022-09-17T16:21:48.850-07:00Great feedback, Kris. Interesting what has died ou...Great feedback, Kris. Interesting what has died out for you over the years, it goes to show that every garden is completely different. Even from your former garden to this one. Thanks for sharing!Chickadee Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00698323800314994028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-48474396538210921392022-09-17T08:41:36.765-07:002022-09-17T08:41:36.765-07:00Even though my garden is in Canadian Zone 3B, and ...Even though my garden is in Canadian Zone 3B, and considered semi-desert so very dry, your perennial list and mine are so very similar. Great plants all. I would add some of the thistle group: Eryngium (seeds itself around a bit) and Echinops. I started seeds of Echinops tienschanicum and it is the best of the best. Tops over 6', defies wind and drought and has huge blue globes that the bees go wild over. Another favourite is Zauschneria (now Epilobium). So many others. Look forward to your next post. Elainehttps://luv2garden.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-42081087426484172232022-09-17T08:15:53.855-07:002022-09-17T08:15:53.855-07:00"Toughest of the Tough" part II is as in..."Toughest of the Tough" part II is as informative as part I. I love how you mentioned winter interest in the form of seed heads. I appreciate a good winter garden, one that holds beauty through the quiet season (except for January, where even the toughest seed pods loose their charm...). I enjoy Amsonia hubrichtii's seed heads. I'm so in love with this plant for it's all year interest, I got a second one. With the promise of ornamental see heads I must find room in my garden for Phlomis russelliana and Baptisia. <br />Love the grasses, hate the volunteers. After years of a complicated relationship, I settle on the orange sedge: gentler seedler and unbeatable color. I am also happy with aster, lamb ears, black mondo grass and saxifrage that you've mentioned. <br />Finally, if I were ever to grow a rose it would be rosa glauca: sweet blooms, yes, but with the blueish foliage its amazing.<br />ChavliAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-665807378090241608.post-55328804045407165822022-09-15T12:57:56.037-07:002022-09-15T12:57:56.037-07:00Another great post. I grew the native Symphotrich...Another great post. I grew the native Symphotrichum chilense but it pulled it out last year when it attempted a takeover. I'm missing it now but, as it's still attempting a comeback, maybe I'll see if I can keep it contained on a smaller scale. My attempts to grow both Baptisia and Amsonia failed, not lasting even a season, despite Sunset's claim I should be able to grow both - I may try at least the Baptisia again as it's supposed to like sandy soil. I inherited several Phlomis (fruticosa as opposed to russelliana) here but all, placed on the margins of my garden in areas that are especially dry, gradually died out over the last 10 years; however, I planted 2 this past spring in an area that offers more soil moisture as an experiment. I used a LOT of Geranium x cantabrigiense in my former shady garden but it died out quickly when I tried it in my current garden even in shade. I keep meaning to try Stipa gigantea. My go-to grasses here are Pennisetums (especially P. advena 'Rubrum') and various Seslarias. Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.com